Wagon Stoke

[LightRanger]

Sat in the leather seats at a dealership on Sunday. They nice.

Too bad my spouse can't drive stick (and won't learn).

[simple]

So in the wagon thread you're complaining that one company actually added to their wagon line-up with a manual version of one of their wagons?

I'm not complaining. I genuinely want to know what kind of yuppie bullshit the SEL gets you so I can fake being excited.

Give me an Alltrak R please.

[plugboots]

I'm not complaining. I genuinely want to know what kind of yuppie bullshit the SEL gets you so I can fake being excited.

Give me an Alltrak R please.

I don't know the SEL specifics, other than it's better than the SE. As in the super-duty is better than the just plain duty version of the F150 right? I guess the versions go:
F150 no duty
Duty
Heavy Duty
Super Duty.

I picked the F150 because of course pick ups are non yuppie bullshit rigs. Is that right? Rigs? Not just vehicle or some shit.

You want an R version or any other faster wagon, w/ MT just move to Europe. Easy-peasy.

[simple]

Looking at jobs in Annecy, France right now. No stupid yuppie King Ranch F150 trucks there.

[plugboots]

With Salomon? That is a beautiful town near some great skiing.
Took this picture in March in Germany, just because pick up trucks are so rare in Europe

[simple]

Yeah they have Ford Rangers there. We only get overpriced Tacomas and outdated Frontiers.

[Moss-Back]

Life is funny. 6 days ago I wasn't close to looking for a new ride...
But the most-recent episode in the declining reliability of my current (and poorly-suited) daily driver made me shout "UNCLE!"
Mrs. Moss shrugged, smiled, and said "It's about time." So, I'm tossing my hat into the Wagon Ring. Soon.

Love the A4 Avant, but tight-ish budget quickly narrowed that down to Golf Sportwagen - either 4Motion or Alltrack, can't decide.
Mrs. Moss rolls an XC90, that's the primary mountain hauler. Don't need another SUV, and I personally prefer the subtle look of the 4Mo.

We live on a steep, private road, AWD is a necessity. I like the concept of the 4Mo system disengaging the rear axle when AWD isn't called for.
My use would be 75% commute/highway @ sea-level, with a few mountain trips tossed in here & there (6K-ish). Basically looking for an economical, sensible ride that can haul a reasonable bit of kit.
Last night, I took a quick drive in an '18 4Mo w/ the DSG 6A, and liked it overall. The DSG upshifts in manual/sport mode felt a bit sluggish, but I could live with it easily.
Next step is to drive a 6MT 4Mo (which are rare in my immediate area), and may as well take a spin an Alltrack too.

I sat in an Impreza Sport for kicks, but just couldn't quite "get there." Plus the cargo area is waaay too small. V60 looks nice, but just out-of-budget.

.

[LightRanger]

Looks like SEL extras are better nav stuff, better seats, dual-zone, maybe better lighting?, and the driver assistance package (adaptive cruise, lane assist, parallel park assist, etc.). But apparently you also have to deal with bigger rims and lower-profile tires. Blech.

[Moss-Back]

Looks like SEL extras are better nav stuff, better seats, dual-zone, maybe better lighting?, and the driver assistance package (adaptive cruise, lane assist, parallel park assist, etc.). But apparently you also have to deal with bigger rims and lower-profile tires. Blech.

Re: the Alltrack, about the only things appealing to me are bigger brakes, nicer seats/upholstery, fog lights, and the higher ride might be kinder to my creaky knees on ingress/egress.
The rest...meh. But I'm an old fuck, so don't want/need all the Techie stuff. Or the leaky Pano sunroof, present in essentially every Alltrack I've seen thus far.

[uglymoney]

The smart buy is the S for sure. It comes with heated seats and mirrors and android auto and no leaky sunroof which also makes it a roomier sleeper and the interior and seats are fine...brown is also available but you have to shop around. Black and my dog work better together anyway.

Also 2019 S comes with the collision avoidance package (manual or auto) which my 2018 does not have.

Still cool that they are putting the 6 speed manual into the SEL when Subaru refuses to even bother serving the wagon market with a stick.

[Mustonen]

fog lights.

Why tho? What are they for, really? They look sorta cool, maybe. I’ve had to repair/replace the damned things more often than they’ve actually been any real use.

[frorider]

As someone who drives in snow storms a lot, I’ll never have a vehicle w/o fog lights. Properly mounted (low), with a cutoff pattern, they work well.

[Mustonen]

As someone who drives in snow storms a lot, I’ll never have a vehicle w/o fog lights. Properly mounted (low), with a cutoff pattern, they work well.

I drive in plenty of snowstorms. Fog lights never really made it easier. I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that I’ve personally never found them useful, outside of giving me something to fiddle with (and ultimately abandon) when driving 4 hours in near whiteout conditions. I find the occasional reflective signs/markers on the side of the road more beneficial, which you can’t see well with just fogs. Given the option I’d prefer NOT to have them.

[The Tortoise]

I think fog lights need to be 10x brighter than they currently are to actually work.

I'm in the leave them off and hope they don't get broken camp.

[Art Shirk]

Fog lights help being seen by other drivers. An extra pair of “hey I’m right here” lights are worth using even if they don’t brighten my way.

For some reason, my wagon just has one rear fog light though. Always found that peculiar.

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[MontuckyFried]

For some reason, my wagon just has one rear fog light though. Always found that peculiar.

Same thing on my Volvo wagon. Always found that odd too but I just read that it's supposedly to help avoid confusion with the brake lights. Makes sense in bad vis conditions. Either way, when the conditions are nasty enough, I've certainly found them to be a great common sense safety feature! Honestly surprised its not more standard.

[plugboots]

Same thing on my Volvo wagon. Always found that odd too but I just read that it's supposedly to help avoid confusion with the brake lights. Makes sense in bad vis conditions. Either way, when the conditions are nasty enough, I've certainly found them to be a great common sense safety feature! Honestly surprised its not more standard.

I thought the rear fog light was a European standard.

[Self Jupiter]

It is, and I forget why. I never turn it on, though, afraid cops will pull me over for a bad light.

[Art Shirk]

It is, and I forget why. I never turn it on, though, afraid cops will pull me over for a bad light.

First thing I did when I bought my wagon years ago was head to the auto parts store for a new light. That was a confusing experience when I took the lamp apart.

Austin, makes sense that the point is to distinguish it from brake lights.


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[Djongo Unchained]

The Pano roof has potential issues. It is not an overly common thing. In hot climates the metal/glass interface expands and can either make it squeaky or lock up. It will cool off in shade and work in short order. And some use a bit of lube...

Some have developed leaks at the upper connection of the drain tubes to the body. Relatively easy fix and old news.

I loved mine on the '09 JSW and sometimes wish I had one on the '12.

So many Sportwagens for good prices right now. Unless you buy it at the stealership. ooof.

Vw is trying so hard to pull people back in with their warranty.

Don't like the 18's? They make 17's, 16's, 15's.

Not enough power? Tune that bitch. Unlimited potential for dentists.

Fog lights? Delete them if they bug you.

And the v-tex leatherette is neither pleather nor vinyl, methinks. I like it, relatively maintenance free but tough.

[HankScorpio]

I'm just happy VW is the only car company ADDING manual transmissions to their trim levels. I'm trying to think of any other car company doing that in the US.

[Self Jupiter]

^x2

[gregL]

I'm just happy VW is the only car company ADDING manual transmissions to their trim levels.

Yep. So happy I bought one.

[frorider]

Yeah so many people say ‘bring back the manuals’ but always find an excuse not to, you know, actually buy one.

[liv2ski]

Yeah so many people say ‘bring back the manuals’ but always find an excuse not to, you know, actually buy one.

I must admit to feeling like that guy. Every car I ever had was a MT except for a stoopid Corvette. I am looking hard at the new V60xc as I want the 300hp out the door, but it is a AT I guess I need to drive a Allroad and see if the 250hp works, as that should be similar in feel to the tuned V Dub. I also need to drive a 328Dxi to see if it has the passing power I need. Not sure if the 280 ft pounds of torque will do it, but I sure love the highway mpg of that wagon..